PIB Headquarters
2ND National Skill Competition on Best Welders  on 06th December 2019, 9.30 am onwards at Chennai in association with The Indian Institute of Welding 
India is ranked 121st out of 131 countries in female workforce participation and it is therefore widely believed that if gender parity in workforce is achieved, India can increase its GDP by 16 per cent which in turn can go a long way to boost the stagnating economy.
Since 2004, the number of women entering apprenticeship programmes in India has increased by 35 percent and last year an estimated around 1.34 lakh women were trained from various ITIs across the country and there are great examples of women who have also been trained in hard skills like welding.
Today women in India are striving for equal participation in every sphere of industrial activity and Welding is no exception. That and the thrust given by on enhancing number of skilled welders by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship are motivating women to make their career in Welding, more so since inverter technology and digitalization have made welding less arduous and more a pleasure. Technological innovations and automation have made welding more sophisticated and scientific where women can prove to be more productive. There are certain welding processes in which women are doing exceptionally well and trained women welders are finding employments in important industry sectors like coach building, aviation etc. which is considered to be significant especially in view of the Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ movement.
The Indian Institute of Welding is a member society of The International Institute of Welding, having a network of 13 Branches and having around 4000 individual and 150 industry members, is engaged in promoting and enhancing the science, technology and skill upgradation of Welding in India. Its personal certification scheme is also accredited by QCI .
The Institute particularly encourages engagement of women Welders, Welding Engineers and technicians through their participation in international and national skill competitions and one such participant, Ms. Arati P. Patole, represented India in the Arc Cup International Welding Competition in China in June 2017 and received "Outstanding Female Welder" prize.
With the objective of encouraging and motivating more and more women in joining welding career, the institute initiated organizing the “National Skill Competition - Best Welder” exclusively for women from the year 2018 in Chennai, with the support from its Industry Partners M/s Kemppi India Pvt.Ltd., Chennai – a 100% owned subsidiary of leading Finnish company manufacturing Digitally Controlled Welding Equipment and M/S Nextgen Plasma Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata – manufacturers & integrators of automated welding and cutting systems.
For the 2nd time in row, the national level final is being held on 6th December 2019 , 9.30 am at M/s Kemppi India Pvt. Ltd., Laxmi Towers, 2/770 First Street, Neelankarai, Chennai 600041. Significant number of participants from sectors engaged in manufacturing through welding as well as students of Welding would be participating in the event.
This press release is issued by Dr. Shaju K. Albert, Director, Metallurgy & Materials Group and Materials Science Group of Dept. of Atomic Energy, Government of India.